


Mama Bear

by ramblingsofagaysian



Series: Apples, Trees, Chips, and Blocks [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Vanessa being protective, she will fight, you don't mess with the ness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 17:37:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17708702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramblingsofagaysian/pseuds/ramblingsofagaysian
Summary: Vanessa is protective, she always has been and always will be, especially with her family. That includes Noah with some unfair treatment from his head of year and a bully.OrVanessa is a tiny righteous warrior





	Mama Bear

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea and voiced it to knightinrainbowarmour to which I got the response, "WRITE IT" so here it is.
> 
> This also refers to something that gets mentioned in a fic that will be posted in future so stay tuned for that.

Vanessa has been back at the surgery doing her own job for a week now, just getting back into the swing of things when she receives a phone call.

 

“He WHAT?!”

 

It’s Noah’s head of year, apparently, he’s gotten himself into trouble and is getting suspended. Charity’s currently busy with the pub, the place is strangely packed so both Chas and Charity are serving and Vanessa is just doing administration work in the vets in between clients. She shouts through to Rhona while shrugging off her green lab coat and picking up her bag along with her own jacket, that she has to go deal with Noah’s latest school fiasco and she’ll be back as soon as she can.

 

* * *

It takes about 20 minutes to drive from Emmerdale to Hotten Academy.  _ He’s punched a teacher, he’s stolen something, he’s gone on a joyride again _ , she thinks. The various scenarios go through her head before she suddenly realises something.

 

The school called  _ her _ not Charity.

 

She can’t think why they didn’t call Charity, she’s his mother after all. It’s not like she’s unattentive or that there’s a reason for Vanessa to be called specifically. She doesn’t think she’s ever been up to Noah’s school before other than to give him a lift home.

 

By the time she reaches the school, the panic has subsided and she’s ready for Noah. She expects him to be as moody and abrasive as per usual, or maybe even more so since he knows he’s in trouble. She’s still worried though, as is a mother’s prerogative. He may not be her son, but she cares for him as she does for Johnny.

 

Vanessa marches into the school and finds her way to the Year Group Head Teacher’s office and finds a boy she doesn’t recognise sitting outside the door. He’s sitting a little slumped, holding an ice pack to his jaw and has two rolled up bits of tissue paper hanging out of his nose. Clearly, Noah has gotten the better of him. She sighs at the sight and knocks on the door.

 

The door swings open and his teacher, Mr Burns, stands on the other side of it. “Come in, Mrs Dingle, I’m sure we have much to discuss”, he welcomes her in and Vanessa is a little thrown off at being addressed as “Mrs Dingle”. She goes to correct him but then decides that now isn’t the time for semantics.

 

Noah is sat in a chair on the near side of the desk, his arms are crossed and he looks annoyed with being in the office more than anything else, he looks so much like Charity here that it’s no surprise that he’s hers.  _ I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. _

 

As she sits down in the chair next to Noah, she notices the redness around the knuckles on his right hand, but there’s nothing on his left. He must have put some swing behind him for the kid to be in that kind of state with just one punch, Vanessa is actually a little impressed.

 

Mr Burns, who looks strangely like Mr Burns from The Simpsons with his band of grey hair, clasped hands, and gaunt face, sits down and faces Vanessa. She half expects him to say “Excellent” just to finish off the comparison.

 

He explains that Noah was seen swinging a punch at the boy, Mark, and was pulled away after he’d made contact and that he’d be suspended for fighting and causing harm to another student. Noah, hackles up, immediately jumps in on the defensive, “He started it!” and Vanessa is a little taken aback by the well-used line being said in front of her.

“That doesn’t mean you’ve to start swinging punches at him, Noah”, he sounds tired, like he’s been here too many times before and he’s fed up of it. His shoulders slump and his hands move to his temples to try and rub away an impending headache.

“Noah, what exactly happened?” It’s Vanessa’s turn to ask questions. As much trouble as Noah can be, and as much as he doesn’t like her, she knows he wouldn’t do this without prompt. He’s a Dingle; they’re hardy, cunning, and spiteful, but never without reason.

He slumps back in his chair and looks at the floor, “He was saying stuff about Mum a-and about you”, he looks at her a little sheepish, and it’s the first time she’s ever seen him like this, “He’s been doing it for weeks, him and a couple of others. He’s been saying stuff in class and in the hall”, he takes a breath, he looks like he’s trying to steady himself, “he was saying that mum was just pretending, that she was doing it for attention”, he turns to face her, “He called you a dyke”.

 

Her heart stops. She looks haunted.

 

Times had changed, things had moved forward since she was Noah’s age. It had to have.

 

But maybe things haven’t changed enough yet.

 

She hardens.

 

“Is this boy that has been harassing Noah going to be suspended too? This wasn’t exactly unprovoked.” her hackles are up now too, she’s seen this before, she has seen the consequences of complacency before and she refuses to let this go without positive action.

“I-I mean Noah  _ did  _ punch Mark-”

“No”, she doesn’t let him finish, “Noah may have punched him but Mark is the perpetrator of a hate crime.” her blood is boiling, “Continuous harassment and bullying of someone based on discrimination of sexuality - actual, perceived, or by association - is a hate crime.” there is anger in her eyes and Mr Burns looks a bit nervous, “So the next words out of your mouth better be that Mark gets some sort of punishment that is fitting and your members of staff better start stepping in when these things happen in the future”.

 

It comes out in a fast stream of fire and Noah is impressed, really. He knows that Vanessa can be hot-headed and fierce, but he’s never seen Mr Burns look so small before. He’s never seen Vanessa snap like this before, either.

 

“I-ah-Of course! He will also be suspended,” Noah can’t help but enjoy this a little, “B-but that doesn’t change Noah’s suspension either”, he’s never seen a teacher stutter before, certainly not one like Mr Burns. He’s normally stoic and steely, it makes him one of the scarier teachers in the school. But here, with Vanessa being a formidable force to be reckoned with, he crumbles to nothing.

“Good.” Vanessa sits back and looks quite pleased with herself, though still tense. So much so that she  _ does  _ look like she could be Noah’s mum and it throws him off a little.

 

They sit and discuss the ins and outs of the suspension, any work that he’ll be sent home with, when he is to return, etcetera.

 

* * *

When they get back to the car, Noah watches Vanessa let out a sigh. “Uh, Ness?” she hums in response, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just-”, she turns to him, he looks genuinely concerned about her behaviour, “I just didn’t think I’d ever have to do this again, certainly not from this side”.

“What? Pick me up from being suspended?” he says it like it’s nothing, as if it should be expected of Dingle kids to regularly cause trouble in school.

“No. To have to deal with schools and homophobia,” she’s looking off into the middle distance again, like she did when he found her in the living room after a nightmare, “as a parent”. He can see something is bothering her, that he didn’t imagine that haunted look from earlier.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he’s a little curious about it now, “You’re not normally like this.”

 

She sees that he’s grown quite a bit over the last year. He’s not so cold with her, he willingly spends time with her and Johnny, and he is very observant. He’s a smart boy, despite what people would assume with his troubles and the Dingle name over his head.

 

“Maybe another time”, he just nods and looks ahead as Vanessa pulls out of the car park, letting it go for now, “Right,”  _ uh oh,  _ “I have to say that I’m still disappointed,” He knew he wasn’t going to get away with it, a suspension is still a suspension, “Not because you punched that kid, I’m disappointed because you got caught. So let’s go to that ice cream shop in Hotten and we can discuss what we do with you for a week.”

 

He quirks an eyebrow towards her and she gives him a cheeky wink and a smile before heading to the ice cream shop.

 

* * *

They’re sitting in the shop, each with their respective tubs of ice cream (Vanessa has two scoops of strawberry and Noah has one of chocolate and one of strawberry hiding underneath. He never asks for it, but Vanessa always gives him a knowing look and gets him it anyway because she knows it’s his favourite, even if he’ll never admit it) and Noah is waiting for his inevitable doom.

 

“This is not a reward for punching someone, no matter how much they deserve it,” Noah is still thrown off, her tone is reprimanding but her expression looks almost proud, “but I must say that I’m glad you stood up for yourself. For your mum.” she knows he’s had a hard time of it, this past year. He’s felt it as much as the rest of them and it’s a lot for a fifteen-year-old boy to try and handle.

“I did it for you too, you know”, he sounds almost sheepish with the confession, “You’re too nice to be talked about like that. It’s not right.” he says it firmly and it seems like he’s developing a good sense of right and wrong, even if his teachers haven’t.

“So, why did your school call me and not your mum anyway?” she’s still wondering about that. She doesn’t expect to get calls about Noah. Calls about Johnny from the nursery, sure, but not  _ Noah. _

“Well,” he looks sheepish again, like he’s going to say something soft and he looks so like Charity here it makes her smile, “I didn’t think Mum would handle it well. Not like how you do,” he takes another scoop of ice cream, his cheeks are tinged pink, “Besides. You’re basically my mum now too.”

 

Vanessa feels warmth bloom in her chest and she’s smiling from ear to ear.

 

“I swear if you start crying, I’m leaving you here”, and there it is, the good ol’ Dingle brand of affection. Or maybe it’s just Charity’s branch of the family tree that does it, Vanessa isn’t sure yet.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she ruffles his hair.

“No, I wouldn’t”, he’s being unusually honest here, maybe it’s because they’re surrounded by strangers with some ice cream between them, having just dealt with his school almost being unfair, “Not after you going all Mama Bear on Mr Burns.”

“True. What is it Paddy says? Don’t mess with the Ness”, they both laugh at the phrase, “Who knew Nessie was a bear!” he’s shaking his head at her, she’s being daft and it’s so undeniably Vanessa that he just has to laugh.

 

* * *

“I’ll make you a deal,” they’re on their way back to Emmerdale, Noah’s holding a large mixed tub of mint chocolate chip and chocolate for Charity while Vanessa drives, “You help me out at the surgery and any call outs I get, and I’ll tell your mum what happened at the school.” he nods his agreement, he’s a little excited to get to work with Ness, her job fascinates him and he’s actually looking forward to it, plus he does like spending time with her (he’ll never tell anyone that though), “And please, if things like that happen again, can you just tell us?” She puts a hand on his knee to emphasise her point, that she cares and will be there for him just like she would be for Johnny.

 

“Yeah, I can do that.” he’s smiling again and he doesn’t think he’s ever smiled so much after being suspended from school. He doesn’t think he’s ever felt so cared for and at home with anyone who wasn’t a Dingle.

 

_ She might as well be a Dingle.  _

 

It’s not the first time the thought has crossed his mind. He thinks that Vanessa has been good for everyone, that she’s been good for him. He really does see her like she’s his other mum, feels that she’d be there to back him up just like Charity would.

 

Because Noah really does love Vanessa. 

 

And if you looked at them for long enough, you’d see he really is her son too.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter @Weekoony or on Tumblr @ramblingofagaysian


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